Sensory characterization of specific wood smoke aromas and their contributions to smoked Cheddar cheese flavor

Abstract

This study characterized the sensory properties of different wood smokes and their application to smoked Cheddar cheese flavor. Sniff jars of wood smokes were created by exposing filter paper to 23°C smoke (cold smoke). Sensory attributes for nine wood smokes (apple, alder, cedar, cherry, hickory, maple, mesquite, oak, and pecan) were generated by a trained panel followed by projective mapping of the different wood smoke aromas. Four distinct wood smokes (mesquite, cherry, hickory, and cedar) were selected for cold smoking of 30 day old Cheddar cheeses. Cheeses were cold smoked at 23°C followed by descriptive analysis of flavor attributes using the trained panel. Nonparametric and parametric statistical analyses were applied to the collected data. Twelve attributes were selected to describe wood smoke aromas. The sensory descriptors for the cold smokes cited most often included: sweet aromatic, charcoal/charred, guaiacol, meaty, vanillin, and fresh tobacco. Mesquite, cherry, hickory, and cedar smokes were the most distinct smokes by projective mapping, and these smokes also imparted distinct flavors to smoked Cheddar cheeses. The mesquite smoked cheese was characterized by high smoke aroma and the highest meaty/brothy flavor, the cherry smoked cheese was distinguished by campfire/marshmallow flavor, the hickory smoked cheese had high campfire/marshmallow and meaty flavors, and the cedar smoked cheese was characterized by an intense resinous flavor. The determination of sensory properties of different wood smokes demonstrates the differences in specific smoke flavor contributions to cheese. Furthermore, the determination of the sensory properties specific to smoked cheese will provide a platform to understand consumer perception of smoked cheeses. Practical Applications: Smoked foods are a growing category. This study demonstrated that smokes from different wood sources have distinct aromas that can be differentiated and that these distinct smoke aromatics are imparted to cheeses exposed to different wood smokes. Results from this study provide a sensory language to differentiate aromatics from different wood smokes and may be useful to product developers and food manufacturers seeking to position and differentiate smoked foods.